3.07.2008

A Do-Over

I know about do-overs. When it rains here in So-Cal, the car wash will grant you a do over within twenty-four hours of your initial visit. If one of my braids slips, I can skip back over to Compton and get it redone. If I fail a traffic school exam, I get the opportunity to take it again and again. If mother nature rains on my hometown White Sox while they are here to play my second home LA Dodgers, and the game is called, well shit, I'll just have to catch the make-up game later in the season. All these things make sense to me.

However, just as I disagree with the The League's decision that the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat should have a 51.9 second do-over before their game on Saturday, the mere suggestion that the states of Florida and Michigan should have a chance to Primary or Caucus again, is making me sick to my greedy stomach.

In Atlanta, a stats crew made a mistake calculating the score during a game played earlier in the season. Atlanta won that game. Case closed. This replay seems inconsequential, and I don't think The Hawks should have to waste their pre-game time making up for the flub of some folks who were acting in an "official" capacity. I wonder if Stanford will get a do-over because the ref's bent over in UCLA's favor and called a foul on Lawrence Hill when he CLEARLY made a clean, fundamental block on Darren Collison near the end of regulation in last night's pivotal game.

In Florida and Michigan, the powers that be violated Democratic Party rules by holding their respective primaries too early in the process. The consequence, clearly outlined, reprimands such action by stripping the offending states of their delegates for the upcoming August convention. Seems simple to me. They broke the rules, and they must accept the repercussions.

Senator Clinton and her "people" now want to revisit the issue and are trumpeting for a do-over because it could very well benefit her campaign in the end. I don't know about you, but this is politics as usual. I, for one, am not impressed. I am on the same page as Rev. Sharpton, who feels that if in fact, these two states are allowed a do-over, we should raise hell. While the Super-Delegates have a role and a place in the process, it is the vote of the people that should be heard the loudest. It is ridiculous that a state could vote heavily for a particular candidate, only to see their will trumped by the decisions of a few politicians with padded pockets. Even if it were Senator Obama who was pulling Hillary's stunt, I would still cry foul. The rules are the rules. The mere thought of this is as silly as The Football League's Commissioner wanting to implement some stricter rules on cheating. Newsflash, pretty boy, ITS TOO LATE. The sweet has already turned sour.

I tell you what, if this voting mess goes down, and these states have their delegates seated, and Hillary becomes our nominee, I will have to reconsider my vote. I will strongly consider passing altogether, casting my vote for Ms. Cynthia McKinney of the Green Party, or taking a deeper look at crusty McCain and his Stepford wife.

As more evidence that some in the Democratic party are willing to do anything to put Hillary in office, I saw some fraganackle bull on CNN today. I watched one particular bald-headed, spectacle wearing Democratic pundit suggesting that the campaign's of both Clinton and Obama should take fifteen million dollars out of each coffer to pay for a damn do-over. Flick that! If you donated money to either candidate, is this what you had in mind? Hell no.

The citizens of Florida and Michigan should be pissed at their "leaders." I say, let this farce be a lesson to us all........know your rights, participate in the political process, know your representatives and hold those Squirrels accountable.